Investment And Innovation Key To Success For Three Manufacturers

With high levels of confidence and innovation, three leading manufacturers have made significant investment

in some of the most advanced CNC machines and robotics to provide a competitive edge both within Australia and internationally.

Eilbeck Cranes

This 110 years old third generation family owned business is today Australia’s largest and most advanced crane manufacturer, towering the Australian Crane Market due to its engineering and manufacturing excellence. Today Eilbeck has manufacturing facilities in Sydney (3), Western Australia (2) Mackay, +a new facility currently under construction in Melbourne and service centres around the country.

Investment over the last two years has been significant for this company with the installation of the Okuma CNC Horizontal Machine Centre MB8000H with OSP P300M control in 2016; an Okuma CNC Vertical Machine Centre Model Genos M560V S15with OSP P300M Control in 2017; an Okuma Space turn LB4000 with OSP P300L in 2017; with the Okuma VTM-100 Vertical Machining Centre due to be installed in January plus an Okuma MCR A5C 35x80 Double Column Machining Centre – the largest Okuma machine in Australia due to be commissioned in February 2018.

Today the Eilbeck Cranes product is widely respected across the industrial and civil sectors, plus private and corporate bodies, both nationally and globally. The product range is wide and diversified, inclusive of custom built overhead cranes and electric wire rope hoists, tunnelling/mucking cranes, explosive-proof Hazardous area cranes and hoists, winches, sheaves and wheel blocks. Eilbeck is now promoting and pushing for the rise of their CNC machining sector as a service in itself!

The Eilbeck Heavy Machining Centre featuring the state of the art Okuma Machines has been a key attribute to the exponential rise and success of Eilbeck Cranes Custom Built and Engineered lifting solutions. Keeping the machining local and in-house gives Eilbeck the ability to manufacture exactly what the client requires and in a short time frame. Additionally, it provides the client the comfort of being able to see their product being built locally with their own eyes!

The commissioning of the latest Okuma CNC Vertical Machining Centre and the installation of the Okuma MCR A5C 35 x 80 Double Column Machining Centre in early 2018 will secure a strong competitive edge in the Australian Manufacturing market, plus opening the doors to entirely new machining opportunities.

Alongside the facilitation of crane component manufacture, positive new business opportunities are being focused on within the Eilbeck Machine shop with the eagerness and determination to become a leader in the machining sector. The company aims to utilise the large capacity and machines to gain a large and loyal customer base for their machining service, according to the Head of Eilbeck Heavy Machining Centre, Charlie Eilbeck.

“With the current boom in Australian Manufacturing, we have major prospects in Sydney and Melbourne’s infrastructure projects. These require large custom built lifting equipment and Eilbeck Cranes has the capacity to facilitate the requirements being the only Australian Crane Manufacture who is equipped to do so” said Charlie Eilbeck.

Hedweld Engineering

Hedweld Engineering, a proud family business based in Mount Thorley, NSW offers unique solutions to a number of industries globally producing world leading innovations for the mining sector for almost 40 years. Known for their Trilift® range of component handling and maintenance support equipment for large earthmoving trucks and the Safe-Away® range of ladder and stair access systems, the company has been heralded for increasing maintenance productivity and minimising workplace injuries within the mining and construction industries in particular.

Hedweld has had a strong relationship with Okuma Australia going back more than 10 years and has recently added a cutting edge Okuma CNC Lathe Model Multus U3000-1SWx1500 with OSP-P300SA Control to its advanced machining facility.

“Okuma was selected for its consistent precision, reliability and outstanding technical support including unlimited training for operators,” said General Manager, Chris Eccleston.

The commissioning of cutting edge machines and the opening of an advanced manufacturing facility in September 2016 has provided a broader scope of work to be undertaken by the company allowing component machining to be produced in-house and the re-design and re-engineering of some components to achieve cost reduction and to improve efficiency. At the same time these major investments have provided additional manufacturing capabilities to Australian manufacturers.

“Investment in the latest technology and advanced CNC Machines is opening up new business opportunities in Construction, Defence, Agriculture and General Engineering,” said Mr Eccleston. “Although there has been a downturn over the last three years, particularly in the mining area, the Australian economy is coming out of this and we forecast a steady growth for the company with an emphasis on innovation and new markets,” he said.

Currently Hedweld exports to 33 countries including USA, Canada, South Africa, Russia, Mexico and South America, representing more than 50% of sales, with the balance of sales throughout mainland Australia.

This family business has an outstanding list of awards dating back to 2012 to the present day with the NSW Mining Council’s ‘Supplier of the Year’ – Mining Technology Award, NSW Premier’s Export Awards (3), Hunter Manufacturing Awards – ‘Excellence in Export of Manufactured Goods’ and ‘Excellence in Innovation, finalist in Australian Export Awards (three years in succession), Austmine Craig Senger Award for ‘Export Excellence’ among many others.

Austex Dies Pty Ltd

Austex Dies located in the South Western extremity of Sydney at Minto NSW is Australia’s leading extrusion die manufacturer with a staff collectively having approximately 500 years of experience in the design and manufacture of extrusion dies for aluminium extrusions. In addition to utilising modelling software, Austex draws on its staff experience to produce dies which in turn maximise productivity for our customers, extends the life of the die and reduces costs.

The capabilities of this company include CAMCAD Design, a full range of CNC machining including Turning, Milling, EDM Erosion, Wire Cutting and in-house Heat Treatment facilities.

The company has a number of Okuma machines and the latest investment is the cutting edge Okuma CNC Horizontal Machining Centre Model MA-600 HII with OSP P300MA Control - 6 pallet machine. This investment is to ensure the company remains highly competitive in the international market.

General Manager Alex Ferrari has extensive experience in Europe and the selection of the new Okuma CNC Machining Centre was based on this experience with a clear requirement for a strong, reliable machine that would allow his company to expand in a competitive and quality conscious environment.

“The machine is everything we could have wished for and our decision was also based on the service and technical support from this key supplier,” said Alex. “The operators were already familiar with the earlier operating system and have easily adjusted to the advanced controls and feel that it is a privilege to work on the machine.”

The new machine is now operating 24 hours a day unmanned because of its strength speed and reliability, providing great efficiencies and making the company more competitive in the production of extrusion dies for aluminium extrusions.

“Australia is surrounded by low cost countries and this latest investment will allow us to be internationally competitive and develop our business further with a strategy to increase market share and important export sales,” said Alex.

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